Birds such as budgies, beos, and parrots can not only learn to talk, they are also capable of performing small tasks. With enough patience and a few training tricks, humans and birds can have a lot of fun together. And the results are often impressive!
It is important that your bird has settled in with you before you start training. The cage, its surroundings, and you should all be familiar to it before it learns to respond to commands.
To help your little friend get used to you quickly, you can start by talking to it often in a gentle voice while standing close to the cage and repeating its name frequently. Repeat its name loudly and in a friendly manner while feeding it. Tell your bird stories or read to it – even if it sounds funny, the aim is to condition your new pet to your voice. This will enable it to respond to you with confidence later on.
Offering the bird treats on your outstretched hand is the next step. Your bird will probably climb onto your hand on its own at some point and eat there. It is best to practice this first with your hand in the cage. Later, this will also help you catch your feathered friend after it has been let out to fly.
This can be the next step in the program: Once your bird has gotten used to everything in and around its cage and seems comfortable with you, let it fly freely around the room. Please remember to keep all windows and doors closed. Of course, no other pets such as dogs or cats should be present. Birds are very shy, so patience and a calm demeanor are required when interacting with them.
It is important that physical contact with you is pleasant for the bird and does not cause it to panic. It should be happy to sit on your hand, eat its treats, and let you stroke it very gently.
The most important thing when training birds is to always use the same commands. In this context, we also refer to certain sounds as commands. Repeat these as often as possible, always in the same order. When your bird responds, reinforce the desired behavior with treats.
Ask your bird to "up" or "down." It should sit on your finger or get off it again. To do this, gently poke it on the belly with your finger and say "up." If it does so, praise it and give it a treat as positive reinforcement.
For "down," carefully tip it off your finger, preferably in front of its perch in the cage. Give the requested command as you do so. After a good result, praise and reward it again.
Let your bird sit on your hand and take it out of the cage. It is best to use treats to prevent it from flying away immediately. When it starts, say "fly" loudly. If it does not fly off immediately, swing your hand downwards and pull the "ground out from under its feet," so to speak. It will then probably fly off reflexively. To catch it again, use the command "up" and hold out your finger as a landing place. Treats should do the rest.
Now you can be creative and come up with new exercises yourself. For example, place a tennis ball in the cage. Your bird can play with it at first. Later, when it has become familiar with it, teach it to sit on the ball on command.
The following exercise can be very useful, for example for trips to the vet and treatment there, or if you want to trim your bird's claws.
Place a towel on the table and let the bird explore it repeatedly for a few days. Feed it there from time to time and play with it on the towel. Eventually, start lifting the sides of the towel until it is sitting in a kind of nest. It is important that it does not panic. If it still reacts fearfully, gently put the towel down again and try again later. If it stays calm in the towel nest, you can wrap it up further. The goal is to have a relaxed, wrapped-up bird.
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Many people find birds fascinating. And some feathered friends can not only live with "their" human for a very long time, but also form a close bond with them. But what do you actually need to ensure that everything is perfectly prepared when your feathered roommates move in?
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